Innocence
by Alex Glaven
Summary: *Elena* When a Mercury Adept recieves a Premonition, a rare gift indeed, about nine warriors gathering in the distant future that deals with the lighthouses, and out of those nine, one betrays them. Can Picard find that one warrior before it's too late?
1. Premonition

I have a few quick notes before I start this chapter. One is, Piers is known as Picard in my fics ^^; Sorry for all you people who know him as Piers, but there's just something about Piers that I don't like. Not that I have anything against him, I've just known Picard longer. And he's one of the few characters where I like his Japanese name more than his English name.  
  
And second, I guess you can say this fic is partly Vilya's fault. This is what happens when Elena chats with Vil about Picard. I know that he never traveled in the game, but for this fic, he does. I have no idea where this fic is going to lead me, but I figured, might as well give it a try. And why I'm calling the fic "Innocence" I'll never know ^^;; but it seemed to work.  
  
One more thing! (okay, I just sounded like Uncle from Jackie Chan right there... .;) I have no idea what the English version of Picard's djinn's are named. I know Fog's Japanese, and Shade's English. Or I got them backwards. And I do know that Picard has two djinn, so if anyone knows what two are his first ones, I'd appreciate it if you'd tell me. So, until I know, I'm calling them Shade and Fog. ^_^  
  
Innocence  
  
Premonition  
  
Nine warriors...gathered for one destiny. The nine would be split, one half wanting to light the four Beacons, the other half trying to prevent that from ever taking place. And out of the nine, one would betray them...  
  
*I must find that one warrior*  
  
It wasn't often that the elder of his home clan would get a premonition. It was rare that any Mercury Adept would gaze into the mists veiling the future, normally only a right reserved for the Jupiter Adepts. If a Mecury Adept was able to have a premonition, there had to be a reason. There had to be a way to stop it.  
  
But...how?  
  
*If the lighthouses were lit...it would be in the hands of the gods. How could one child make a difference?*  
  
***  
  
The crisp, salty ocean air and the cold breezes in his sails had always helped him relax. He had always been driven to sail, away from the stifling traditions and responsitibilties of his homeland. Out into the freedom of wide open skies and an endless plain of deep sparkling blue that the ocean provided.  
  
"Out sailing again Picard?"  
  
Picard turned his head and smiled at the spririt of his Mecury Djinn, Shade. The tiny blue creature had formed on his shoulder, and was now regarding him with eyes as golden as his own. "Not just sailing, I'm on a quest this time."  
  
"Of course." Fog appeared on his other shoulder. "On a quest for the impossible."  
  
"I'd have to admit, finding a child of prophecy isn't going to be easy," Picard agreed, turning to watch the last mist shrouded glimpses of his home disappear beyond the horizon.  
  
Shade shifted from one foot to the other. "You always made me wonder, Picard. Most Lemurians are forbidden to leave, and they're happy with that. And then there's you, allowed to roam freely...no wonder your parents worry about you."  
  
"Father and Mother both know I can take care of myself. And if I could find the child..."  
  
Fog stared at him. "And how are you supposed to manage that one? The elder said nothing else except he was a child. How are you supposed to be able to find one single child? You don't even know what he looks like, or where he is. Where are we supposed to start looking!"  
  
Picard continued to stare out at the ocean. "I don't know, but I have this feeling I'll know when I see him," he noticed that Shade was mouthing every word he was saying. "Hey-"  
  
"This is why I love traveling with you. You're so predictable."  
  
"Why do I even put up with you two." Picard sighed.  
  
***************  
  
And yes! I know it's short. It's short for a reason. I'm working into plot, that's only the intro ^_^ Tell me what you think. I bet you'll never guess who the child is! Bwhahah!! Even though it's fairly obvious. And it's 3:30 in the morning, so I think I'll call it a night. So, review!! 


	2. It's Only a Bit of Rain!

Hi!! Gomen nasiai this took so long ^_^;; I had it all written out months ago, then gave it to Akiko to play with...and yeah...it took forever and a day for her to give it back to me ^^; I think I annoyed her, and she finally managed it ^_^  
  
Anyways, I started this fic before I knew that Shade and Spring were his first two djinn, and I thank the people who emailed me and told me who they were ^_^ And again, this was before I knew much about TLA, and starting to get familiar with Picard, and now he's like...my favorite character besides Alex ^_^ So, I will be sticking to the original plot of this fic. ^_^ and hopefully updates will go faster!  
  
Chapter 2: It's Only a Bit of Rain!  
  
  
  
"Who's bright idea was it to go sailing again?" Shade chirped angrily, hopping up and down on Picard's shoulder.  
  
What had once been clear, still blue water had turned into darkness, illuminated by lightening cutting through the still warm air.  
  
  
  
"It's only a bit of rain!" Picard replied cheerfully. "Nothing to worry about."  
  
  
  
"You call THAT rain?!" Shade continued to argue. She jabbed her tail upwards to indicate the sky. It was still late afternoon, but the cloud cover was so thick it might as well have been midnight. Her momentary lapse in balance caused a swift gust of wind to blow her off of Picard's shoulder. She squeaked in surprise and fear. "We're all gonna die!"  
  
  
  
"No we're not," Picard smiled as he caught her in his hands. "You forget who you're sailing with. I'm the best sailor in Lemuria. Besides, Spring was the one who said it would be a good day to sail. So, if you need to be mad at someone, it should be her."  
  
  
  
"Thanks for the support, Picard." Spring said sulkily from her perch on his other shoulder. "Well, think of it this way Shade, it could be worse."  
  
  
  
Picard looked towards the sky, just as thunder crashed overhead. A brilliant flash of lighening was reflected in his golden eyes, rendering the heavens and letting loose sheets of rain.  
  
  
  
"What was THAT again?" Shade dangerously eyed Spring.  
  
  
  
"It wasn't my fault it started pouring."  
  
  
  
"Yes it was!"  
  
  
  
"Can you two stop arguing for five minutes?" Picard wiped rain from his eyes. The rain caused his clothing to stick to his skin and plastered his hair to his forehead, his bandana hanging heavily around his head.  
  
"She started it!"  
  
  
  
"Sure, blame it on me. Picard! Spring's picking on me!"  
  
  
  
Picard sighed. "Never get mixed up in a djinn argument. Hey Shade?"  
  
  
  
Shade paused and turned her attention back to Picard. "Yeah Picard?"  
  
  
  
"Can you tell me if we're anywhere near land. I can barely see anything in this storm. It'd probably be wise to dock as soon as possible."  
  
  
  
"What happened to 'it's only a bit of rain! Nothing to worry about!' earlier?"  
  
  
  
"Well, that's what I thought at first. I've sailed in plenty of storms. Except, judging by those storm clouds, and by how fast the wind's picking up. We could be in trouble. Tell me, wouldn't it just be fun to sail in a lightning storm!" Picard said sarcastically. "Would you like me to continue?"  
  
  
  
"Okay! Okay! I get the point!" Shade pleaded. "Just concentrate on the ship Picard. I'll see what I can do to locate some land."  
  
  
  
Picard nodded as Shade vanished. "We should be getting close, but I can't see anything in this rain. I can't recall ever sailing in a storm this bad."  
  
  
  
"I wouldn't panic too much Picard." Spring shifted to her other foot.  
  
  
  
"Who said anything about panic? I'm just afraid I'll run into land and not even know it's there. I can't afford to damage this ship too badly, otherwise, it'd be kind of difficult to get back to Lemuria without it."  
  
  
  
Picard turned his head, just in time to see a collosul wave approaching, and fast. "Oh no." he muttered.  
  
  
  
"Look out!" Spring warned as a wave rose above the ship.   
  
Before Picard was able to react, water was crashing down on him. He grabbed for anything to keep himself aboard.  
  
  
  
The wave sent him crashing into the railing of his ship. A sudden jolt of pain swept through his body as his back rammed into the side of the ship. Quickly, he made move to garb hold of the railing. He caugh a hold of it and hung there, water still washing over him. He didn't dare move until the sea had calmed down slightly, for fear of being sent into the darkness of the ocean. He groaned softly in pain and spat out the taste of salt. He pulled himself up over the railing and fell onto the deck.  
  
  
  
"Picard!" Spring called as she appeared once more in front of him.  
  
  
  
"I'm alright," Picard replied quickly in between coughing up water.  
  
  
  
"Wow, looks like you had a worse time than I did. Are you alright Picard?"  
  
  
  
Picard looked up to see that Shade had returned. "I was just attacked by a wave. Nearly tossed over board. I'm cold, wet, choking on salt water and you ask if I'm alright?"  
  
  
  
"I'll take that as a yes."  
  
  
  
"Did you find anything?" Picard asked, changing the subject.  
  
  
  
"In a matter of fact, I did. We're closer than I thought we were. Landing could be interesting though."  
  
  
  
"What? Are there no places to dock?"  
  
  
  
"Well, we have a few options. Lalivero is the closest city, and we should be able to dock there fairly easily. Except, if we do-"  
  
  
  
"They'll probably start asking me questions. My ship isn't exactly native to their land. I'd prefer to keep Lemuria secret for as long as possible."  
  
  
  
Shade nodded. "That's what I thought you'd say. There is a clearing not too far from Lalivero. So, we should be able to dock without being noticed, and pull up next to the cliffs. That way, it would be harder for people to notice it. And we could just stay at the Lalivero Inn and say you're a traveler, got caught in the storm, and need a place to stay for the night."  
  
  
  
"Sounds good to me."  
  
  
  
"The tricky part, is to be able to dock without running into the sharp rocks near the beach. Since you said earlier, the storm was clouding your vision."  
  
  
  
"I think I'll manage with a little guidance. How close are we?"  
  
  
  
"Very close."  
  
  
  
"Very descriptive..." Spring mocked.  
  
  
  
"Would you rather navigate?" Shade stared back at him. "Wait, never mind, you would probably just get us lost."  
  
  
  
"Why do you always pick on me?"  
  
  
  
"Please, can you two argue later?" Picard got to his feet, his breath coming hard.  
  
  
  
"Are you sure you're alright? You really don't look good-"  
  
  
  
"I'll be alright as soon as we land. I'll be counting on you to be my second pair of eyes Shade."  
  
  
  
Shade nodded as she saw Picard close his eyes putting all of his concentration into the ship.  
  
  
  
The Lemurian ship was much different than other ships, with their oars and sails. It was controlled by a Black Orb, a dark sphere that fed upon Psynergy. Picard could control the ship with the slightest touch of his mind.  
  
  
  
"Careful Picard," Shade warned. "We're coming up on the first set of rocks. "Head to starboard, slightly." Picard obeyed, as Shade continued to navigate him through the rocks, and as close to the cliffs and shore they dared, without getting stuck, or crashed into them.  
  
  
  
"Well, I think this is good enough hiding spot." Picard sighed tiredly. "I vote, let's get to Lalivero, unless we want to be caught out here for the night."  
  
  
  
"We made it! Land!" Spring chirped happily. "Well, I guess you're good for something Shade."  
  
  
  
"What was that again? Who was doing all the work while you just sat there!?"  
  
Picard ignored the two Djinn, climbing below deck and packing away the Black Orb before he left the ship. He returned to the deck and swung off the boat on a rope. He landed with a splash in the shallows, and waded onto what appeared to be an abandoned stretch of sandy beach. A particularly strong gust of wind caught him, and he wrapped his arms around him as protection from the biting cold.   
  
  
  
"Are you alright, you're awfully quiet. Even for you." Spring asked.  
  
  
  
"I'm fine. Just a little cold." Picard brushed back his wet hair with his fingers. "Nothing warmth and some food wouldn't be able to fix."  
  
  
  
Lightning flashed overhead, giving him just enough light to see his surrounding area better. He closed his eyes for a second, studying the after image burned into the darkness.  
  
"What?" Shade immediately lowered her voice.  
  
  
  
"I was almost positive I saw the outline of a few people just now."  
  
  
  
"You saw it too?" Spring agreed. "I was able to make out four figures, and a small child. There could easily be other people in this area as well..."  
  
  
  
"A small child? What in the world is a child doing out in a storm like this?" Without hesitation, Picard sprinted forwards, silently. *There's no way anyone would bring their child out into a storm.*  
  
He paused at the edge of the clearing, listening.  
  
  
  
"I can't believe those guards fell for it. We can make loads of ransom money for this child. Faran would do anything to have her back safe and sound." One of the men, Picard was guessing he was their leader, scoffed.  
  
"Yes, but what should we do with her in the mean time?" One of the men holding the girl, asked.  
  
  
  
Lightning flashed overhead, allowing the Lemurian to see his surroundings better. The girl was visibly shivering, too frightened to do anything. She looked no older than 5 or 6. "Well, there is rumor that she's a child of the gods."  
  
  
  
"A child of the gods?" Picard said to himself in no more than a whisper. "Could she be the one-"  
  
  
  
*Picard!* Shade's voice shot through his mind. *Behind you!*  
  
  
  
Picard turned his head, just in time to see a staff being swung at him. 


End file.
